Oriakhi released from scholarship

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 by:Kevin Duffy
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UConn forward Alex Oriakhi has been officially released from his scholarship, a school spokesperson said Tuesday.

Alex Oriakhi (AP)

And that means Oriakhi, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound senior-to-be, can talk with other schools. A source close to the situation said Kentucky and North Carolina are among the teams that have contacted Oriakhi. The source also added that Oriakhi probably will not consider Duke, which was rumored to have interest in the former McDonald’s All-American.

Per Big East rules, Oriakhi is not allowed to transfer within the league. The SEC also prohibits one-year transfers, so Oriakhi would need to obtain an additional waiver to become eligible at Kentucky. Here’s the rule from the SEC:

“A student-athlete who, upon enrollment at the certifying institution, has less than two years of eligibility remaining, is not eligible for financial aid, practice or competition at the member institution.  Any student-athlete who receives an athletics grant-in-aid during his/her first year in residence at the certifying institution shall be considered to be recruited under the terms of this bylaw.  A member institution may request a waiver from the Conference office for academic reasons or for an individual transferring from an institution discontinuing a sport.”

Oriakhi was a key cog in UConn’s 2011 national championship run, but saw his numbers — and playing time — dip this past season. Oriakhi averaged a career-low 21.5 minutes and 4.8 rebounds per game as a junior.

An announcement is expected to be made in a few weeks.

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    April 12, 2012 at 2:15 am

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  2. UNC in Contact With UConn Transfer « Tar Heel Blog says:
    March 27, 2012 at 5:03 pm

    [...] UConn blogger Kevin Duffy. UConn forward Alex Oriakhi has been officially released from his scholarship, a school [...]

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